Disgraced former Herefordshire MP makes it into print (From Ledbury Reporter)

Disgraced former Herefordshire MP makes it into print

7:00am Saturday 5th January 2013 in News

THE untold story of a Leominster MP thrown out of parliament for his links to an early national lottery has been put into print.

Thomas Bish was an early 19th century entrepreneur, media star and society figure who was said to be one of the bestknown men in the country and more famous than the Prime Minister.

The reason for his fame was his part in the incredible growth of the lottery idea which, in the 1820s, helped a number of good causes before parliament abolished it.

A large part of its success was down to the promotional genius of Bish, whose lottery advertising helped him earn a vast fortune.

Gary Hicks, who has penned The First Adman: Thomas Bish and the Birth of Modern Advertising, says his subject has until now been lost in time but claims his legacy lives on.

Mr Hicks says among the techniques Bish pioneered were promotional campaigns and spin doctoring.

Shortly after his election success Bish attempted to stimulate Ireland’s flagging economy by writing to King William IV to ask for some parliamentary meetings to be held in Dublin.

For more information on the book, visit victoriansecrets.co.uk